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rsederquist@vaildaily.com
One could argue River Radamus’ emergence as a U.S. Ski Team fan favorite hinges on love for country, charitable efforts fueling future stars‘ development or his mature introspection and process-driven mindset. His most lovable trait, however, might be something more rare: fearlessness.
All those topics were brought up at a Thursday press conference in Soelden, Austria, but his boldness took center stage. The 26-year-old, who will kick off his seventh World Cup season in his signature giant slalom Sunday, said he thinks Marco Odermatt — winner of the GS, super-G, downhill and overall crystal globes last season — is beatable.
“Absolutely,” Radamus said. “After the seasons he’s had, every single guy goes into the summer thinking, ‘what do I need to do to catch him?’ I’m not different.”
Speaking of his off-season, Radamus told the media the U.S. team enjoyed a successful prep period thanks to excellent conditions during training camps in New Zealand and Europe.
“We’ve had a great summer. The guys are skiing pretty well right now I think,” Radamus said. “I’m excited because, first race of the season, we have a sense of where we are, but we don’t really know until the action kicks off on Sunday. I’m nervously excited.”
Veterans Tommy Ford and Nina O’Brien echoed the sentiment.
“Sunday — who knows what’s going to happen. I’m ready,” Ford said, adding that his knees have felt better this fall. O’Brien, who missed all of last season after breaking her left leg for the second time in a 19-month span, is also pain-free.
“Expectations are tough. I think I’m trying to balance being patient with myself and not having too many expectations because I’ve been through this and I know it can take some time,” said O’Brien, whose recovery from her 2022 Beijing Olympic fracture in Edwards was covered in a ‘Fracture Friday’ feature in the Vail Daily. “But at the same time, I feel like I’m skiing pretty well and I definitely want to have a good race.”
O’Brien’s most recent fracture came during a training camp in New Zealand in September 2023. She said she’s more ready for the mental challenges corresponding with the ups and downs of a comeback.
“I think just knowing that that return to racing and peak performance isn’t always linear is something I’m aware of now,” said the 10-year U.S. Ski Team veteran.
Both the U.S. men and women experienced a coaching shakeup over the off-season. Rudi Soulard was promoted to the women’s head tech position after eight-year coach Magnus Andersson stepped down. On the men’s side, longtime coach Ian Gardner, who guided Radamus to his first-career podium last February, was replaced by Fabien Munier. Joining him with the men’s World Cup group was fellow former French coach Claude Cretier.
“They set really clear intentions for the training days and keeps us all on the same trajectory even though we have individual needs,” Ford said.
Paula Moltzan said Soulard brings a “calmer” presence on and off the hill than Andersson.
“For us, he’s not so in your face and supports your everyday needs,” the Minnesota native and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail alumna said. “I think that’s been really productive for our entire team.”
The numbers and the eye test confirmed one thing: the 2023-24 campaign was Radamus’ best. He finished 11th in the giant slalom season standings after hip-dragging highlights like a fourth in Adelboden on Jan. 6, a 19th-place slalom finish out of bib 70 the following day and a career-best super-G result (eighth) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The real breakthrough came on Feb. 24 in Palisades Tahoe, where Radamus clinched his first podium with a third-place finish. But the Edwards native doesn’t think momentum necessarily carries over from season to season.
“You try to reset and continue to build on the skiing, but I have to create my momentum this year and hopefully I continue to progress the results,” he said. “I try to approach every race the same and go out there and see what’s possible.”
After Soelden, the World Cup travels to Levi, Finland, on Nov. 17 and Gurgle, Austria, the following week before swinging into Beaver Creek for speed events Dec. 6-8.
“The nice thing about Soelden is it’s so removed from the rest of the season that hopefully I come home with a good result, but if I don’t, I can reassess and make sure that I’m prepared for the rest of the season,” Radamus said. “I feel like I’m in good shape right now and hoping to take advantage.”
When asked about what went well on the Red Dog giant slalom course in California last winter — and why he hasn’t been able to replicate the podium performance more consistently — Radamus challenged the premise.
“I think the reality is the level of skiing at the World Cup is so high that you can do everything in your control and still come up short because there’s so many guys in podium potential every day,” he explained. “So, I wouldn’t say I did something completely new, completely different on that day, but that is a really special race for me.”
One reason? The American audience.
“I want to make sure I give back to them and give them something to cheer for,” Radamus continued. “I think I thrive off of that sort of connection and I think I made the most of it that day, but every time — whether it’s here or anywhere else on the calendar — I’m trying to give them a show.”
If he puts together a pair of perfect runs, maybe he can even challenge Odermatt.
“We want to do everything we can to certainly make him sweat and challenge him for those wins and those globes. I think he’s definitely beatable, but he is the bar right now,” Radamus said of the Swiss superstar, who won 12-straight giant slaloms last season. “We’ll see how close we’re measuring up on Sunday.”
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